Richard of Germany

Richard of Germany (5 January 1209-2 April 1272) was the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 13 January 1257 to 2 April 1272, succeeding William II of Holland and preceding Rudolf I of Germany.

Biography
Richard was born on 5 January 1209 to the Catholic English House of Plantagenet, and he was the second son of King John of England and Isabella of Angouleme. In 1225 he was made Count of Poitou and Earl of Cornwall by his brother, King Henry III of England. Richard campaigned in Poitou and Brittany on King Henry's behalf, serving as regent three times for him, but relations were strained as Richard rebelled against him three times and was only convinced to surrender with lavish gifts. Richard lost Poitou to Hugh X of Lusignan, and he was later offered the kingdom of Sicily by the pope, but he refused it because of the difficulty of getting the title. In 1256 he was elected King of Germany, a part of the Holy Roman Empire, but Alfonso X of Castile opposed him. Between 1257 and 1269 he only made four brief visits to Germany, but on 29 March 1261 he set up Antipope Hadrianus V. Richard helped his brother during the Second Barons' War against the Barons' Alliance, and he died in 1272 after suffering a stroke. He was succeeded by Rudolf I of Germany, the first ruler of the House of Habsburg.